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World’s First Electric Nissan LEAF Limo Debuts in Tennessee

This is the world’s first road-worthy, licensed, street legal electric limousine, said Trevor Goulding, director of sales for Embassy Suites Nashville South. The Embassy suites hotel in Nashville, Tennessee needed a new way to shuttle guests. Their typical trip is less than five miles from the hotel. The hotel chain is committed to luxury and going green, so they contracted a company to create a LEAF limo. The LEAF will be primarily VIP car service, anybody who is looking for that special treatment to get around in the area.

A company out of Missouri made the modifications. They kept most of the Nissan LEAF’s essential parts intact. There is still just one battery pack, but it now sits in the back for balance. They added about 400 pounds in the center of the car to make room for more seating. And they added mirrors, plush leather and cedar paneling, synonymous with luxury limos. The hotel’s shuttle driver Phillip Huckelba is surprised on how well the conversion worked. It fits a total of eight adults, including the driver comfortably.
Many of the hotel’s guests have never even been inside an electric car before. Krystal Serrano never had until she rode for the first time in the hotel’s LEAF limo. “It feels so smooth. You can’t even really hear the engine running, but it wasn’t like being in a golf cart either. I don’t know how they did it, if they cut a car in half, but it’s really interesting and fun that they did and it was like being in a limousine,” said Serrano. Hotel workers and guests are electrified about what they see as a first glimpse into the future for fully electric luxury excursions.